East Libya oil town, refinery bombarded: report

CAIRO (Reuters) - Al Jazeera television reported on Friday that Muammar Gaddafi's forces bombarded a refinery and residential areas in the eastern Libyan oil town of Ras Lanuf, the scene of fighting between rebels and government troops.

Al Jazeera showed its correspondent standing in the area of Ras Lanuf near where a large black column of smoke was billowing up around some storage tanks for an oil installation.

Al Arabiya also reported the town saw heavy aerial attacks.

Independent confirmation of the reports was not immediately possible. Rebels earlier in the day had reported fighting in the town, saying it was focused on the residential district.